Admiral Panda
by The Phophet's Prophet
Summary: I could never have been like Dad. I wouldn't have been able to stay in the background like he could. I was destined for bigger and better things. Pirates would fear me, citizens would respect me. The entire world will see me rise to the rank of Admiral! The world would know the name Pandaboy!


"You should be more like your father." They always told me. Stick to the background like good ol' Dad. Stay hidden. Be seen by not being seen. Make people look for him. Like an easter egg.

People never noticed his dad. He was one of the best, if not the best. He was everywhere at once. My dad has been everywhere. Skypiea, Impel Down, Thriller Bark. Yeah, he was always there. He didn't _do _anything though.

Sometimes, it's hard being Pandaman's son.

He was always talking about how people were always searching for him, but why? He was never a part of anything. He likes to say that he saw all of the Pirate King's battles, but he acts like he was actually fighting.

"Pandaboy, could you come in here?" There's Mom. He likes to talk about that too. It's one of the only times he tells a story where he actually does something. He says he chased after her all the way to Raftel, always stopping to watch the Pirate King along the way, and finally won her heart _by showing his sticking-to-the-background-skills!_ Jeez, one way or another, it always comes to that.

I walked into the kitchen, where I had heard her voice come from. I sighed, because she was nowhere to be seen. Like usual.

I walked over to the cupboards and pulled them open, revealing my mother A.K.A. Pandawoman.

"You're getting better at this son," She congratulated me, while she leapt out of the cupboard.

"No, you're just running out of hiding places," I told her, as she reached into the fridge.

"Don't feel bad, son. I bet one day you'll be just as good as your dad," She comforted me, though right now I didn't really _want _to be like Dad.

"Yeah, yeah." I said, trying to act encouraged. "So...what did you want?"

"I was hoping you could help me cook. Once your father gets home from the execution, I hope to have a feast for him," She explained.

"Why can't we watch the execution?" I asked, a little annoyed at Dad for forbidding it.

"Because, Pandaboy," She hesitated. "Your father felt like he knew the Pirate King. Like they were friends."

"But he never even talked to him!" I protested, pointing out an inconsistency I've seen before in these stories.

"Well, you're right. But even so, your father felt like he had a connection to him," Mom insisted. "You know, when you take up his legacy, maybe you'll be lucky enough to get to be around the next Pirate King, if there is a next one."

She handed me some carrots and told me to get chopping. She grabbed a head of lettuce and did the same. While she cut, she kept talking.

"Have you been practicing your techniques?" She asked.

"Yep," Not a total lie. I mean, it's more fighting than hiding, sure. Still can't believe my luck when I found that training dummy.

"Good, you can show your father when he gets home," She told me. Wait...

"Wha-a-at?" I asked. Usually it was Mom. I mean, at least she showed sympathy during training. She just thought I was bad at it, not that I was lazy. But...Dad?

"Mom, he'll kill me!" I pleaded, holding my hands out to her like a beggar. I was going to die!

"Honey, don't exaggerate. At worst, broken bones. He's not that bad," She told me, sending me off to my death.

Not that bad? Not that bad! Anytime he spots you, he punches you in the face or knees you in the face. How is that okay?

"Mom, seriously-

"Oh, hush. I'm sure you'll do fine. You did say you were practicing after all," She gave me a look that said she knew a little bit more than I thought she did.

I couldn't stop the nervousness in my voice, "Y-yeah. Of course." My human hand came up to scratch my big panda head.

I take after her more than Dad. More human...ish, than he is. Still, I have tough panda bones like Dad.

"So you'll do fine!" She was back to happy. I sighed inwardly. Let's face it: Pandamen were scary, but Pandawomen? Forget about it.

I went back to chopping carrots. We were silent for a while before I asked, "Mom, did you ever feel like you were meant for something...I don't know, more?"

"What do you mean, honey?" She asked me, turning to face me.

"Well, like you were meant for more than hiding in the background, more than just _following_ the Pirate King?" I asked.

"Well..." She looked like she was reminiscing. "Nope." She said abruptly, with a smile.

I sighed, "Yeah, me neither."

* * *

The sun was close to setting when Dad came in, and dinner was already on the table. We were seated patiently as he ruffled my fur and then kissed my mother on the cheek before taking his seat in the middle of us.

"Mmm, this looks delicious," Dad said to Mom, while I began chowing down.

"Thank you, honey. Pandaboy helped me out too," She mentioned me, making me look up.

"Is that right?" He asked, before turning to me. "Good job, son." He gave me the thumbs up.

"Thanks," I murmured, eating my food again. It looks like he was about to go into a story, and I would be safe from several knees to the face. Until...

"You know, Pandaboy was telling me about how he wanted to show you his hiding skills," Traitor, I mean, Mom said. How could she? Why? Why?

"Oh, you have? Let's go then!" He shouted standing up and running out the backdoor.

"How could you?" I asked her, though she gave me no answer except a miscievous look in her eyes.

"He's waiting," She pointed out, which was her way of saying "Get out there, now."

I huffed as I reluctantly stepped outside to see that Dad was already missing. I took the time to pretend that I was clueless about where he was before picking up a rock and throwing it at a tree to the right of me. Hearing a very audible "Ow!", I knew I had hit my mark.

Branch after branch broke off as my father fell off the tree before planting into the ground. He stood up quickly, rubbing his panda head. His cargo pants were torn up by all the branches, as well as his green apron.

"Huh, you're getting better at this son," He said, giving another thumbs up.

"Where have I heard that before?" I grumbled.

"Huh? What was that, son?"

"Nothing."

"Good. Now...Get into position!" He screamed at me, forcing me into action. I sprung up into a tree as Dad turned around to look the other way. It was like a game of extreme hide-and-seek.

The moment he turned back around, he pointed at my exact spot and screamed, "There you are!"

Before I could react, I was kicked out of my tree...with Dad's fist. I don't know how either.

"Come on, son! You can do better than that!" He screamed at me, as I pushed myself to my feet and ran away. Dad turned away again and I decided to lay in the grass. He turned around, and once again spotted me instantly. He leaped into the air, getting ready to bring his fist down on me. I quickly evaded as he impacted into the ground.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I screamed at him, pointing my finger.

"Son, if you don't practice hard, you're never gonna be like me!"

It blurted out before I could stop it.

"I don't want to be like you!" That stopped Dad in his tracks. He just stared at me for a second, with a perplexed face. He was speechless.

He walked right past me without saying a word. He went into the house, slamming the door on his way in. I just stood there, wondering if I made a mistake.

* * *

"He's still sullen?" I asked Mom, yawning a bit.

She was making pancakes as she talked, "Yes...you really hurt him, you know that, right?"

I sighed, "Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell us you didn't want to be a background icon like your father?" She asked me.

"You guys had your heart set on that! What was I supposed to do?" I pleaded my case to her.

"Honey, we still would have loved you," She comforted me, though it was futile.

"Doesn't seem like it. He's been holed up in his room for days now! I didn't say anything wrong," I argued.

"No, you didn't. But your father so much wanted to see you out there-

"But he wouldn't have seen me! I wouldn't be in a newspaper or anything! I wouldn't be some super cool marine or something. I'd be lucky to be one of those guys that hangs out in the background of a bounty poster with my head facing the camera!" I complained.

"Honey, it's not that bad," She insisted.

"It is to me," I grumbled.

The door to my father's room burst open, startling us and interrupting our conversation. My aforementioned father stepped out, seriousness clouding his face.

"H-hey, Dad, how you d-doing?" I stumbled through my words, tensing up in preparation for what I was about to hear. A punishment? More practice? Disownment? The terrible possibilities ran through my he-

"Fine." He said, shocking me.

"Fine? Like, _fine_ fine?" I asked, unsure of what he meant, but hoping so much that it was I thought he meant.

"You don't have to follow in my foo-

"Yes!" I shouted in joy, pumping my fist in the air. I stopped celebrating when I realized I had interrupted him, and put my hands away sheepishly.

"As I was about to say, you may do whatever you like, and I will support you through it all," Dad said, and that was my cue to tackle him to the ground and basically bearhug him.

"You'll see Dad, I'm gonna be famous. Everyone will know my name!" I shouted, hugging him until the white parts on his face turned blue.

"Yes, yes, but could you please...let...go...I'm...dyi-" He could barely choke out the rest of the word dying, so I quickly let him go.

"Dad, I'll be a great marine!" I shouted at him, excitedly.

For some reason, his head hit the floor.

'_My_ _God, he doesn't even want to be a pirate!'_

* * *

So how was it? Don't see a lot of marine-centered fics, do you? I mean sure, there's a few but how many have the main character as Pandaman's son?

And to be even more original, I'm letting you guys do all the work of making the crew! I know, pretty original, right?

**Name:**

**Position:**

**Nickname (if any)**

**Fighting Style:**

**Weapons (if any)**

**Devil Fruits (if any)**

**Appearance:**

**History (please, be a little detailed. I'm not asking for an entire chapter but at least something I can work with.)**

**Personality:**

**Specific eye-catcher (accent, quirks, disabilities):**

**Willingness to Kill:**

**Other items I've forgotten**


End file.
